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Montero already likes what he's seeing from Bell

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It was just an eight-minute session throwing to hitters, a first this spring, but D-backs catcher Miguel Montero was impressed with what he saw from reliever Heath Bell on Sunday.

"He looked good, he located pretty good," Montero said. "For the first day, he looked like he was ready for game time. His location, fastball got some good explosion coming out of the hand and he located pretty good, man. He was game ready pretty much."

"It was good, ironed a couple of kinks out, a couple of things I have to work on, but overall it was good," Bell said of the session. "I think every time you face hitters for the first time, you get a little geared up especially [because] you don't want to hit your own players, so you're just a little tentative going inside. Overall I think I made some pretty good pitches."

Bell is looking to rebound from a nightmarish 2012 season with the Marlins when he posted a 5.09 ERA and feuded with manager Ozzie Guillen. He landed in Arizona as part of a three-team deal involving the Marlins, D-backs and A's last October.

"I started earlier training this year, but that's because I [stunk] last year and I really wanted to be ready to play this year," Bell said.

Bell, who is slated to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic this month, seems to be enjoying his move to the desert.

"I had some things, maybe some demons or issues last year," He said. "So be it. This is a new year, a new team, it's a new manager, new pitching coaches, new teammates. Everything is brand new, even the facility is brand new. I feel like so much at home and I don't really know everybody. These guys are unbelievably great about having fun, being serious, getting out of your comfort zone."